Pondering pears

We have a pear tree which has produced very large yellow pears which appear to be ripe (it's late October after all and they're falling off the tree) but hard inside and not sweet at all? Any idea what they are?

Most pears do not ripen on the tree. You pick them hard and store for a few days and there is perhaps 24 hours when they are perfect, and drip juice down your chin. then they start to rot from the inside, and go woolly.

At the expense of sounding patronising (which is not my intention at all), are you SURE it's a pear? Could it perhaps be a quince? Just from the description you gave, it made me instantly think 'quince'.

Or it might have been an old fashioned Warden or Wardon pear. Huge, hard as a brick and utterly tasteless when raw. Quite decent when cooked. You don't often see them now, except in ancient gardens or on the site of old orchards, because hardly anybody recognises their merits these days.

And there I've learned something new- I had no idea about Warden/Wardon pears Pansyface. As I was looking for answers about pears in general to see if anyone discussed the Bosc pear, I had a quick browse and came across this thread- the thought instantly sprung to mind Dove.

As I'm generally curious about unusual and interesting fruits/veg., the Warden/Wardon is now on my research list. Some species have indeed benefited from certain improvements but I believe that we are losing out by being flooded with species that are easier to mass-market, at the expense of some uniquely satisfying species. They can then quietly slip away into antiquity. I am very grateful Pansyface.